Allan's Announcements

By Allan 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=11643

Hello Holt Bolts,

Hope you all a good 3-day weekend!

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Four Staffing Updates:

• CLC Staffing Updates – Melanie Pinto (CLC Teacher) and Andy Raasch (CLC EA) have resigned their positions. Andy resigned last weekend and Melanie’s last day in the building was Friday. She’ll be working out of the SSD office downtown to finish paperwork. Both positions should get posted this week on the 4J Jobs website for five days. Regular Holt sub Richard Schminke is taking over for Melanie starting this week and is interested in applying for the CLC teaching position for the rest of the year, so that’s great news! I don’t have any leads for the 5.5 hour CLC EA position, so if you know of anyone out there, please encourage them to apply.

• 22/23 Staffing Info – Principals will get 2022-2023 Staffing Allocaitons for licensed, classified, Title 1 and SSD staff this Wednesday. I’ll email information to staff Wednesday evening and will meet with the Leadership Team on Thursday ahead of meeting with all staff on Friday. I know classified staff do not typically attend the Friday PD, but you’re welcome to attend this meeting and use trade time if the 1:30 meeting is outside of your normal work hours. Linked here is the HR Staffing Timeline sent to principals, but Building Staffing Plans are due to HR by Wednesday, March 16th, so between now and then we’ll process staffing scenarios and discuss different options. As I shard earlier, we are being projected for same number of students as this year, which should mean we’re staffed at a commensurate amount of FTE. Let me know if you have any questions on this.

• 22/23 Staffing Survey – To help me with next year’s staffing plan, I’d like staff to complete the linked 2022-2023 Staffing Survey. I’d like to know staff members’ individual plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or other thoughts. All answers will be kept confidential and let me know if you have any questions.

• TSS Schedule Update – Brian has already shared that he’s been hired to work as part of the Synergy Team downtown, but he’s continuing here part-time as our TSS until they can hire someone permanent. He will continue to respond to tickets and will be on site Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays in the afternoon. He’ll be able to do some work remotely when he’s off site and if there’s ever an emergency, other TSS staff will be on call to be dispatched to our building.

 

 

• REPEAT: Gifts of Hope Project – Ashley already emailed details, but note the following dates:

WEDNESDAY = Money Due
THURSDAY = Choose Items to Purchase (with your grade level)
FRIDAY = Announce items at assembly

Remember to record totals on the Gifts of Hope Collection Counter Google Sheet. The 4J Communications Department got wind of this from a Holt International Facebook Post and is working on getting us some media coverage!

• REPEAT: Holt Spirit Day – PJ Day, FRIDAY – This Friday is a Holt Spirit Day and it’s Ultimate Cozy Pajama Day! Get kids excited and remind them they can earn Spirit Tickets for participating. Also, be sure to plan your own PJ Day outfit! I’m pretty excited about my Captain Kirk PJ Onesie that just came in the mail.

• Friday PD – This Friday’s PD time will be dedicated to sharing and discussing 2022-2023 Staffing Information. Staff will have an opportunity to discuss the staffing process, staffing scenarios, and a chance to ask any questions.

• REPEAT: Staff Social, Friday at 5:00! – This Friday is our first Friday at 5:00 at the PublicHouse in Springfield. There’s pizza, Hawaiian food, Fisherman’s Market, Indian & Latin fare, and all sorts of good food to choose from (I’ll be getting a bratwurst from Pig & Turnip), as well as a variety of beverages. Bring your family along if you’d like and hope to see you there!

• Anti-Bullying BMX Virtual Assembly, Feb. 28 @8:30 & 1:15 – Monday, Feb. 28th will be a very cool BMX Virtual Assembly from Guinness World Record Holder, Matt Wilhelm. Zoom links are on the Holt Staff Calendar and times are the same as the prior virtual assembly.

Grades K-2: 8:30-9:15
Grades 3-5: 1:15-2:00

Ashley emailed info about the assembly earlier, but Matt Wilhelm has won three X-Games medals, two World Championship medals, and two United States National Championships. The assembly will include some amazing bike tricks, but more importantly will focus on an anti-bullying message told through Matt sharing his story of beating the odds en route to becoming a BMX National Champion. Linked below are a couple of his appearances on America’s Got Talent if you want to get kids excited ahead of the assembly.

(Short version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW0mwKTVJ5s

(Longer Version)

• Contact Tracing Resumes for Breakfast/Snack/Lunch – Contact tracing resumes this week for maskless meal times. Teachers, make sure students are not sitting by the same people for both breakfast and snack, which add up to more than 15 minutes and will lead to a quarantine for any unvaccinated students. Also make sure you do not have students sitting by the same people in class and in the cafeteria. Cafeteria Supervisors, continue to have students mask up and dump their trays at the 15 minute mark, so we don’t have any close contacts at lunchtime. Let me know if you have any questions on this.

• Referral Reminder – Whether in the classroom or at recess, when you address student misbehaviors be sure to document incidents with a referral, even if you were able to handle and address the situation in the moment. It’s important we track behavior patterns, as well as ensuring parents are notified. If staff feel parents do not need contacted, write DOCUMENTATION ONLY on the referral.

• Remind Kids “Take Your Coat to Recess” – It’s going to be pretty cold this week, with one day in the teens, so be sure to remind students to bring their coats to recess. Students are not be allowed to go back to class for coats, though we may in rare circumstances escort a younger student back for a coat if temperatures are in the teens, but will otherwise stick with the natural consequence of being cold for a short time.

• FREE Coats in Office – If you know of any students who cannot afford a winter coat, we have a good number in the office they can choose from.

• Responding to Students Making Suicidal Gestures and ideations – If staff ever become aware of a student making a suicidal attempt, gesture, or ideation (i.e expressing statements around wanting to die), whether on or off campus, immediately notify me, Kim, or Max, who will use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to assess the situation before notifying parents.

This is at the process 4J is having schools follows, which helps assess situations and can also help parents see the seriousness of what their child is doing or saying. For student who make flippant comments around wanting to die, this process can also have the impact of conveying to them the seriousness of such word and that it is not a joking matter. See the 4J Suicide Prevention website for full details, but let me know if you have any questions on this

• Kids Not on Library Circulation Computer – A reminder that students are not allowed to use the library circulation computer to check out books themselves. Checkout needs to be done by an adult.

• Sluggo’s Home Run Reading Challenge is Back – I’ll assume all classrooms want to participate in this program and am planning to request materials for all classrooms, but it is optional if your grade level does not want to participate. If you’re unfamiliar, teachers set a reading goal for students and when they meet that goal they receive two FREE tickets to a Eugene Emeralds baseball game. One change this year is schools have to turn in their final totals earlier, by April 15th. I’ve requested Monday, March 7th at the same K-2 and 3-5 times as our BMX assembly, but haven’t gotten confirmation on those date/times yet. See the Ems Email for additional details.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Absences – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Absences:

Absences:

Staff members who will be absent from work due to illness, personal reasons, or to attend training need to use the AESOP website (www.aesoponline.com) to document the absence and request a guest teacher, if needed. Please try to schedule as early as possible to make arrangements. If it is too late to schedule a substitute, contact office staff immediately so arrangements can be made. If a longer term absence is anticipated, please contact the administrator for help with the process. All forms and links can be found on the 4J website.

• Read Across America, March 2nd – NEA’s Read Across America is next week on Wednesday, March 2nd. This is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading with the theme: Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers. For some ideas and resources, check out NEA (National Education Association), The Book Wrangler’s Month Long Reading Calendar (which includes Google Slides linked to books on Epic!), and Reading Rockets.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

February 21 (M)
No School – Presidents Day

February 22 (T)
5th Grade Staff Room Duty
9:00, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Zoom)
2:45-3:25, IPBS Team Meeting (Kelsey’s Classroom)

February 23 (W)
Gifts of Hope Money Due
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
2:30-4:00, Mobile Food Pantry (Ed Center)
5:30-10:30, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

February 24 (H)
Gifts of Hope Grade Level Purchase Decision
2:45-3:25, Leadership Team Meeting (Debbi’s Room)

February 25 (F)
Holt Spirit Day, Ultimate Cozy Pajama Day
7:40-8:10, Gifts of Hope Virtual Assembly (Zoom)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD – 22/23 Staffing Discussion (Cafeteria)
5:00, Staff Social! Friday at 5pm (PublicHouse)

February 28 (M)
ELD/Speech/Title/Counselor Staff Room Duty
8:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
8:30-9:15, K- 2 Virtual Assembly – Matt Wilhelm BMX Show (Zoom)
9:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
1:15-2:00, 3-5 Virtual Assembly – Matt Wilhelm BMX Show (Zoom)

March 1 (T)
8:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
9:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
2:45-3:25, Staff Meeting (Cafeteria or Library)

March 2 (W)
NEA’s Read Across America
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
8:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
9:00-10:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
9:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 3 (H)
8:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin
9:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin

March 4 (F)
1:10-2:00, Kona Ice – Holt Shave Ice Fundraiser! (Hard Play)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD – ACT SEL/Self-Care (Async)

18 days until spring break!

Allan